Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi troops have launched an offensive to liberate an Islamic State-held region, north of the recently-freed Qaim town in Anbar, a paramilitary official said on Wednesday.

“Offensive to free al-Rummana, north of Qaim, was launched on Wednesday with participation of security troops and tribes,” Qutri al-Obeidi, a senior leader with al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in al-Baghdadi region in Anbar, told AlSumaria News.

“Troops managed to free al-Rummana bridge, which links the center of the region to Qaim,” Obeidi said indicating troops advance to free it from IS militants.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced on Friday liberation of Qaim in record time.

Many IS militants reportedly fled Qaim heading to al-BuKamal in Syria, after several leaders ran away and were killed in airstrikes by the Iraqi and U.S.-Coalition jets.

Operations were launched, late October, to liberate Qaim and Rawa towns. Both have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it occupied one third of Iraq to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “Caliphate”.

Iraqi forces have managed, so far, to retake Mosul, the group’s former capital, the town of Tal Afar, west of Nineveh, Kirkuk’s town of Hawija and Anbar’s Annah and Qaim.